KZN lightning strikes kill 10 in one week

An electric storm in KwaZulu-Natal killed three people at the weekend, bringing the total to 10 people who have died as a result of lightning strikes in separate incidents in the province in just one week. The provincial government has now promised to speed up the roll-out of lightning conductors in areas prone to severe electric storms.

The latest incident occurred at uMzimkhulu, on Friday, when three people were killed and dozens more injured following an electrical storm. Local government spokesman, Lennox Mabaso, said more than 80 households suffered damage from the storm. This comes after six people were killed by lightning at KwaMachi, near Harding, on Thursday. In a separate incident, a 28-year-old woman died when she was reportedly struck by lightning in her Ndwedwe home last Sunday.

Mabaso said a team of disaster management personnel led by the local Mayor Mphuthumi Mpabanga went door-to-door visiting the affected families and provided support.

“We are deeply saddened by this latest tragedy, which happened soon after the double tragedy of KwaMachi in Harding. We call on the public, particularly in the rural areas, to exercise caution as we are in the middle of the summer season, when incidents of this nature tend to occur most frequently,” she said.

According to the department, natural disasters, especially lightning, have killed more than 100 people in the province over the past four years.